Under the Blade's Light

He swiftly performed the Earth Release: Hardening Technique, taking Suigetsu's incomparably fierce horizontal slash head-on with brute force.

Then, seizing the moment, he abruptly pulled back and threw a punch, smashing it viciously into Suigetsu's head.

In an instant, Suigetsu's head burst into a mass of clear water, while Fudoshin used the force of that blow to dart rapidly backward.

At the same time, Fudoshin rapidly formed Hand Seals, then slammed one palm onto the ground.

A dull boom followed his movement.

Earth Release: Ant Hell!

The solid ground beneath Suigetsu's feet suddenly began spinning violently and continuously sinking. The surrounding earth seemed to transform into flowing quicksand, caving inward toward the center.

Just then, Suigetsu's head, which had only just been scattered into water, re-formed.

When he realized he was gradually sinking into this strange trap, he bared his sharp little teeth and snarled viciously:

"Hmph! You're unlucky to have run into me!"

With that, Suigetsu's entire body abruptly turned into a pool of water and seeped unhindered into the depths of the earth.

Clearly, a technique like Ant Hell could not truly trap someone capable of the Water Transformation Technique.

However, for Fudō, even such a brief chance to catch his breath was enough.

Taking advantage of the gap while Suigetsu used the Water Transformation Technique to dive underground, Fudoshin spun around and bolted toward the distance without hesitation, trying to escape this dangerous place.

But at that moment, a huge hole suddenly burst open in the trap's rock wall he had so carefully arranged earlier!

In an instant, a figure shot through it like a ghost.

It was a white-haired Anbu member wearing a mask. The short blade in his hand was already drawn, gleaming with a chilling cold light.

With a flicker of his body, he